Adventures in Crafting: Knit and crochet markers – Craft Challenge!

A couple of weeks ago, I spent some time with my in-laws on vacation. My mother in law is heavily into knitting, so I went with her to visit her favorite yarn shop. I’ve never done knitting, but as a teen, I did some crocheting.

While we were in the shop, I discovered a cool item that knitters are using while they work… knit markers. They are so cute and useful, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Most of the items needed were already in my stash, so this is a great opportunity for me to use up some of those extra beads. I made them using a few different methods. Use what you have on hand.

I’m going to be sharing the how-to for the different types of markers that I made on Sunday

For the Crochet markers, you’ll need:

Beads or charms

Lobster clips

Wire or headpins

Jewelry pliers

For the knit markers, you’ll need:

Beads or charms

Wire and crimping beads

Small, medium and large jump rings (depending on which style you are making)

Wire cutters

Jewelry pliers

Let’s start with the Crochet markers. These can actually be used for either knitting or crocheting. The big difference is the lobster clip. It allows you to easily remove it from your project.

First, take your charm, and add a small or medium size jump ring. To do this, you’ll want to twist the jump ring to open a gap… do not pull the side straight apart. This will weaken the wire, and jump rings were designed to be twisted, not pulled.

After the jump ring is attached to your charm, add the lobster clip too. You’ll have both the charm and the lobster clip on the same jump ring.

Finally, close the jump ring. And you are done. 🙂

Another version uses the beads you have on hand, along with a head pin.

String 2 or 3 lightweight beads on a headpin, and twist the end into a loop using your round nose pliers. This creates your handmade charm.

After adding your beads, bend the end of your wire to a 90-degree angle and trim it to about an inch.

Then, using your round nose pliers, bend the wire into a loop, starting at the far end, and bending it towards the beads.

Making a knit marker is a little different. Instead of a lobster clip, we’ll be using large jump rings or wire. This allows for enough space to go around your knitting needle.

Use a medium jump ring to attach your charm to a large jump ring.

For larger knitting needles, you’ll need to use wire instead.

Take about 4 inches of wire and loop it back on itself. Slip a crimping bead onto the wire and move it into position, allowing enough of a loop for the size needle you want to use this for.

Crimp the bead. I used a crimping tool, but a regular pair of pliers should work too.

Add your beads and another crimping bead to the bottom to hold them in place. Be sure to crimp this bead as well.

Once you get the hang of each of these techniques, you’ll find that this is a quick and easy project. I made several of them in a short amount of time. I think I’ll keep some of the crochet markers, and send the rest off to my mother in law for her to use with her knitting. What a great gift idea!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and would love to see what you create! If you would prefer that I make one for you, please let me know. I am always taking custom orders and love making new things.

Thanks again for reading my blog, and have a great day!

For more crafting inspiration, check out my channel on YouTube or my other tutorials here on my blog:

This tutorial is part of The Craft Challenge 2017. The ladies listed below are all contributors and have their own unique tutorial to share with you! Take some time and check out their February craft projects.

Links will be updated to their tutorials when their posts are available.